Disability Law Claims Blog

Man Receives Prison Time for Social Security Fraud

The Social Security Administration (SSA) is owed more than $14,000 after a man committed fraud by taking disability benefits that were not his for nearly two years. This instance of Social Security fraud is another case that can contribute to the long wait times experienced by those who legitimately apply for Supplemental Security Income.

According to WOWKTV.com, 50-year-old Timothy Maynard of West Virginia was charged with fraudulently cashing the SSI checks of a man who was incarcerated.

In September 2006, the recipient of the SSI benefits went to jail, which caused his monthly disability benefit checks to expire. In October, Maynard took an SSI check out of the recipient's mailbox, forged a signature, and cashed it, causing the Social Security benefits to kick back in.

Maynard repeatedly forged SSI checks each month until October 2008, when the SSA realized that the rightful recipient was incarcerated. Upon investigation, Maynard admitted to forging the signatures.

Maynard was charged with theft of government money. He pleaded guilty in October 2009 and was sentenced to prison for six months, followed by 5 years of probation.

Unfortunately, such SSA fraud cases may increase the wait times for disabled and low-income applicants to begin receiving their disability benefits, as the SSA has to take time to look into any suspected fraud.

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